#166 A certain substrata of internet humour
Hollywood. Vine. Camera. Lights. Action.
14 MAY 2025
Good morrow, team.
Chris Mead here, your resident improviser, nerd and general cultural enthusiast.
It’s been a quiet week for me since getting back from Rome. I’ve watched a lot of Andor and completed Spider-man 2. It’s been glorious.
A week of slightly less improv has recharged my batteries for more improv in the near future.
Which is good, because there’s a lot more to come.
Rule of three
[Podcast] Vine: Six Seconds That Changed The World
I’ve always really loved Benedict Townsend. I think he rises above the legions of other internet cheeky chappies by being genuinely funny and charismatic. Check out Scroll Deep, his series on internet culture, if you haven’t already. But today, I want to recommend his limited-series podcast - Vine: Six Seconds That Changed The World. I was never a huge Viner but loved how the 6-second limit helped define and elevate a certain substrata of internet humour. The story behind the app’s rapid rise and spectacular fall is fascinating and is told with real panache by Townsend. I honestly didn’t realise just what an outsized impact Vine had on the internet landscape of 2025.
[TV] The Studio
Yes, I know, Hollywood loves to talk about itself. Do we really need another acerbic look inside the Tinseltown machine? Well, if it’s done with this much style then yes, I am on board. I particularly liked the episode about the incredible level of preparation and technical skill needed to do a continuous one shot that is itself presented as a one shot.
[Tech] Casey Neistat
Talking of preparation and skill, Casey Neistat is a YouTuber who packs more craft into a ten minute review video than most film directors do into a feature. Take a look at this review of a new 360 camera (not a product I’m particularly interested in) and appreciate the sheer flair for composition and storytelling.
Spotlight
This Sunday 18th May, The Pretend Company in Farnham welcomes two absolute improv superstars to our humble market town. Yes, my The Play’s The Thing co-stars Ali James and John Oakes are coming over to present their workshop Claim the Stage.
I had the genuine pleasure of taking this workshop in Munich last year and it’s absolutely packed full of actionable advice and beautiful exercises to make you more confident and present on stage.
Bizarrely, we still have a few tickets left, so grab them now and come and visit us just one hour out from Waterloo. Our charming venue, The Farnham Maltings is less than a 10 minute walk from the station.
And every ticket to the workshop also gets you a free ticket to watch the 6pm show in the evening - featuring the aforementioned improvised Shakespeare show in all its glory.
Longform thoughts
To be good, you have to not worry about being good.
This week, I’ve written an improv essay about The confidence paradox.
Radio contact
You wanna fight? Fight me!
PS - Just saw the trailer for Nobody 2. SUCH a different vibe from the first film - like John Wick meets National Lampoon’s Vacation.